AN all-island reading club has been launched to promote the work of authors attending the inaugural Manx Litfest in September.
Starting in April, the club will focus on one author each month with the aim of encouraging as many people as possible to read a book by that particular writer.
It will be a ‘virtual’ group – there will be no meetings, but everyone is encouraged to get involved with discussions about the author on Manx Litfest’s blog, Facebook page and on Twitter.
It’s also hoped existing book clubs will get involved by reading and discussing the authors as part of their normal programme.
Festival director John Quirk explained: ‘The Manx Litfest reading club will act as a complement to existing clubs. We don’t want to replace any groups or draw members away from their clubs, but if they want to read our Litfest authors too, they can join in. Or, as one or two groups have already indicated, they are tweaking their reading list to incorporate our monthly choices. And it’s not a set book each month – you can read any title by the author we’re focusing on, with the goal of discussing their writing in general, not just one particular book.’
The first author to go under the microscope is Jasper Fforde, the author of the Thursday Next series and Nursery Crime series, as well as the young adult book, The Last Dragonslayer, and its sequel, The Song of the Quarkbeast.
The focus during May will be on acclaimed crime writer R. J. Ellory, author of A Quiet Belief in Angels, The Saints of New York, Candlemoth and A Simple Act of Violence, which was named the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year at the 2010 Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, beating Ian Rankin, Peter James and Mark Billingham.
Manx Litfest will run from Thursday, September 27, to Sunday, September 30, this year. It will feature visiting authors and poets alongside Isle of Man-based writers in a colourful celebration of storytelling.
Among the other names appearing at the festival are Martin Bell MBE, a former BBC war correspondent and one-time MP for Tatton, along with Ann Cleeves, Chris Ewan, Jeremy Strong, Elizabeth Buchan, Neil Ansell, Thommie Gillow, Michael Curtis, Tom Palmer and Hilary Robinson.
The main Litfest hub will be the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre complex, with other events held at venues around the island, including Castle Rushen, Erin Arts Centre and the Manx Museum.
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